The Notebook
by AntiSora
Summary: After an incident sends him back in time, Emil finds himself in the company of a certain pair of scientists from Sybak. He and Richter learn quickly that with Aster, curiosity is dangerous… But Aster's antics aside, the trio may not be entirely safe…
1. Prologue

**A/N:** Well, I don't really know where to begin. The beginning sounds like I good place, though, I guess. Well, Fishiesinthesky and I got to talking about Aster, and how he probably ships everybody and is a secret Richter/Emil fanboy, and we were joking around, and the idea of him having a little notebook of Richter/Emil fanfiction came up. And... Well, what started off as a silly little story about Aster being a fanfiction author gained a proper plot, and antagonist, and a proper ship along with it. XD So, this is actually, in part, a jointly-written story between myself and fishiesinthesky. I'll mark each part as to who wrote it, but we worked out a summary/outline to use together, so... I can't remember who came up with what anymore, and it's a ton of work to go back through the messages and figure it out... Basically, we both worked on the ideas for this story, and we've both done writing for it so far. :3

First, though, there's some credit to give! This whole story was actually inspired by the amazing Hikaru Irving, and their awesome story Dimensional Rift-if you haven't read it yet, GO READ IT. Without that story, this wouldn't have been cooked up! XD Other credit will be given as due when segments inspired by/borrowed from (with permission, naturally) other authors come up. :3

Also, this story is technically a Richter/Aster/Emil story-because it's and awesome threesome. XD

**Disclaimer:** Neither myself nor fishiesinthesky claim credit for the characters used within this story. They are the property of Namco-Bandai, or the other authors who created them, and proper credit will be given where due if/when they are mentioned. Neither of us makes any profit from this work, and it is simply for our amusement and the entertainment of others.

(Author of this part: Me)

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><p>"I'm sure Aster would have wanted it this way. He was such an idealist." The half-elf smiled at Ratatosk, watching the Summon Spirit.<p>

Ratatosk stared at Richter for a moment, stunned. He smiled hesitantly. "Thank you." Closing his eyes, he allowed Verius' power to connect with his own. Focusing, he felt himself being pulled, as if in two directions at once. With Verius' aid, he felt Emil disconnect from him, though he still felt a small connection to the now-human boy. As he felt himself being connected to Richter, who had offered his body as a host for the Summon Spirit's core, he sent his power to Emil, focusing, drawing somewhat on the half-elf's strength to aid him as he concentrated on casting the spell that would allow Emil, with Verius' aid, to leave the Ginnungagap and live out his life as a human.

A sudden shout broke the silence, Verius' voice ringing out with a warning, "Ratatosk! Wait! You're using too much power; the spell is too strong!"

Emil gave a startled yelp as a wave of energy flowed through him, jolting him. He heard Ratatosk cursing in his head, _"Damn it! No, Emil, hold on to my power!"_ before everything went black.


	2. A New Past

**A/N**: Naturally, since the prologue was so short, I thought I'd upload this part, too. :3

(Author: Me)

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><p>For several long moments, the Summon Spirit struggled to keep hold of Emil, unsure of what was happening. "No! Emil!" He struggled to renew the hold he had on the boy, but felt him slip, losing him. Calling out again, he summoned his power, slamming it against what felt like another, immensely powerful flow of energy. Ratatosk cried out in pain, startled. Images flashed through is mind, his memories of his journey with Emil, and for a moment he wondered if this was what mortals meant when the said whatever it was about their life flashing before them when they were about to die.<p>

A sudden, almost familiar presence made itself known in his mind. Ratatosk felt shock and recognition from the second mind brushing his own, but he wasn't able to identify it. He felt its anger grow at the memories it tapped into, then with a sudden rush of power, he felt himself connected to a body again. Disoriented, he dimly heard a familiar voice.

"Please use your Centurions to restore the balance of mana! If you do that, then the world will be saved."

He jolted slightly, the world suddenly coming into view. He stared at the human and half-elf before him, uncomprehending. Several long moments went by in which he struggled to understand what was going on, this was no memory—_this was really happening._ Aster and Richter stood before him, and the human was _alive_. He blinked several times, barely avoiding voicing aloud his thoughts, _Impossible! I… He can't be! What's going on?_

Blinking up at the Summon Spirit, Aster paused. Ratatosk wasn't acting right. He looked confused and shocked. Aster shifted nervously, glancing at Richter for a bit of help. When the half-elf just shrugged helplessly at him, he hesitantly addressed the obviously disoriented Summon Spirit again.

"Um… Ratatosk? Are… Are you alright…?"

Staring at the human for a moment, Ratatosk wasn't sure how to answer. It was another moment before he finally understood. _It was when I used too much of my power… Something went wrong; I've heard rumors, but to think…! This __**is**__ the past! Wait, Emil! What happened to him…? If this is the past, then… I lost him, somewhere in the time stream… Emil… He could be anywhere, any__** when**__. He's human now… He likely didn't survive… I miscalculated…_

Aster was unsure what to do. Ratatosk was staring into space with a very distant, sad expression on his face. Glancing to Richter, he whispered, "What… What's going on?"

Shaking his head, the red-haired man glanced back at Ratatosk for a moment, thinking, before responding. "I'm… I'm not sure, Aster. But just a few minutes ago, I felt a very powerful surge in the mana within him. It may be what's upsetting him."

Nodding, the human stepped forwards, trying again to get the Spirit's attention. "Ratatosk…?"

The genuine concern in the boy's voice snapped Ratatosk out of his daze. Staring at the two scientists before him, he blinked a few times. "Forgive me for my distraction. You were here to ask that I restore the balance of mana in this world, correct?" From the way the human simply nodded, without looking too afraid, he judged he had arrived before his declaration of hatred for mankind. _I can undo what I did… I can prevent the death that never should have occurred at my hands. Emil… You would have wanted this, wouldn't you?_

Relief flowed through the two scientists at the way the Summon Spirit seemed focused again, and even kinder than he had just minutes before. Something _was_ different, though neither could put a finger on it.

"I understand. I will restore the balance of mana in this world. I have a request for you, however."

Blinking in surprise, Aster and Richter looked at each other wondering what they could possibly do for the powerful Summon Spirit. After a moment, Aster looked back to Ratatosk. "Of course, Lord Ratatosk. What is it you want from us?"

Smiling, the Summon Spirit spoke carefully, a strange tone in his voice. "You must do what you can to prevent the hatred mankind seems so good at producing from reaching the level it did 4,000 years ago. I do not want the Spirit of the new World Tree to suffer the same way I did when my tree was killed. There are those who want peace in your world, and even by simply speaking out against the hate you can help to protect your new World Tree."

A bit surprised, both Aster and Richter stared at the Spirit for a moment before Aster spoke. "Of course, we already do that, we'll be very sure to keep doing so, Lord Ratatosk."

Smiling again, the Spirit chuckled slightly. "Now you call me by my title, human? No, no, don't worry—but just call me 'Ratatosk'—being so formal doesn't suit you, Aster."

The human blinked, startled, he glanced at Richter, before turning back to Ratatosk and frowning slightly. "Uh… How, exactly, do you know my name…? I never mentioned it…"

Pausing for several seconds Ratatosk mentally berated himself. _Stupid! I'm not supposed to know his name! Damn it, what the hell do I say to cover that?_ It was several more seconds before he managed to answer. "Uh… Well, I… You've been traveling with Centurion Aqua! I can read my Centurion's minds, so that's how I know your name and personality."

Aster didn't buy it, not for one second. He gave Ratatosk a very skeptical look, but seeing how uneasy the Summon Spirit was he glanced at Richter, shaking his head almost imperceptibly in a gesture indicating to drop the subject.

Ratatosk coughed slightly after a moment's awkward pause, continuing on. "Uh, anyway, moving on…" Ratatosk paused again, focusing his power, reaching out to his servants. "Awaken, Centurions! Restore the bonds with your monsters and repair the mana of the world! … Aqua, please return to your duty as a Centurion. I know you care for Richter and his friend, but you're needed now to keep the world safe for your friends. You can, however, escort them to the nearest town or city. Perhaps you may even be able to visit them once things settle down more."

"Thank you, Lord Ratatosk! You're… Very kind." The Centurion of water seemed taken aback by Ratatosk's very sudden, and rather unnerving, change in attitude and personality. Still, she was grateful that he wasn't angry with the mortals. She had been at least somewhat afraid that he would lash out.

Nodding to the mortals and Centurion, Ratatosk felt along the lines of power connecting him to his Centurions, glad to find them stirring quickly. "Alright, you should get going, I'll handle things from here. And take care, alright?"

Still a bit perplexed by the way Ratatosk just seemed _off_, Aster smiled at him, nodding once, before grabbing Richter's hand and leading him off, pausing at the exit to look back and call over his shoulder, "Thank you for your help, Ratatosk!" With that, he was gone, and Ratatosk was alone again, save for Aqua and now Tenebrae.

"Lord Ratatosk, you seem troubled. How could you have known the human's name, if I may be so bold as to ask?" Shuffling his paws slightly, Tenebrae watched his master, somewhat nervous of the response he'd get. He was surprised by the simple sigh and soft tone Ratatosk used when responding.

"That, Tenebrae, is something I will keep to myself, at least for the time being. Now, go on, you have your duties to attend to."

Once the Centurions had left, Ratatosk went about his task, though he couldn't help but feel a strange tugging sensation in the back of his mind. After some time, he simply gave up on working for a few moments, instead focusing on the sensation and examining the strange connection. His brow furrowed slightly as he focused, then his eyes went wide with recognition.

"Emil! He's survived… He's still drifting in the time stream…" Ratatosk pulled gently on the connection, sending out a tendril of his own power, hoping to anchor the boy and pull him to safety. After several moments, he cursed loudly as he lost Emil again.

It wasn't until several weeks later that he once again felt Emil's presence, this time more strongly as the boy was booted from the time stream.


	3. A Fateful Meeting

Just a note, don't expect any kind of regularity or speed when it comes to updates. Just fair warning.

(Author: fishiesinthesky, incredibly minor edit by me) [Tiny little edit-forgot a pagebreak. Didn't catch it until now. ._.; Oops?]

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><p>"Richter, can we stop yet?"<p>

"No."

"Pleeeease?"

"No."

"Aw, c'mon! We can't keep walking on like this forev-"

"No."

It was a beautiful evening in the forest. Birds were singing; the air was crisp and fresh. Sunset's light filtered in through the trees, casting a warm glow on the two as they continued trudging through the wilderness. They were almost to Sybak! Sybak, where they could lie in their own beds, and take hot showers, and raid the library for new books, and sleep indoors, and eat food that hadn't been canned or dried or incinerated by the campfire… _Oh_, it would be good to be home!

"Richter," Aster whined, "we've been walking for _hours_."

"The clearing is only five minutes away, Aster," the older boy sighed. Sure, the blond was a prodigy and the youngest at the academy to boot, but he could be such a handful sometimes.

Not four and a half minutes later, they were there. They had camped here last time, too, and it was just as they remembered it – pristine, untouched, and very green. It even had that same tree right at the edge of the clearing, with a branch sticking out of it at _just _the right angle to set up a shelter with. Aster dumped his pack unceremoniously at the foot of the tree and flopped down in the grass, sighing deeply as Richter rummaged through his own bag for supplies.

"Aster, can you get some wood for the fire? I'd like to start it before the sun goes down completely." As it was, the sun had just dipped below the horizon and light was fading fast.

"Sure." The blond slowly eased his aching body back up again. "But you have to set up camp while I'm gone. Deal?"

"Deal."

With a huge grin on his face, Aster marched off into the nearby brush. He was _good_ at collecting things to set on fire—actually, it was probably all he had done this entire trip. He was a man on a mission! Nothing could stop him now! Nothing… except maybe tripping over someone else's legs in the dark.

Five minutes later, with his arms full of firewood, that's exactly what he did.

"Whoa!" He yelped, branches flying in all directions as he pitched forward onto the hard ground. Shortly after, he righted himself, groaning. Well, there went the firewood. Aster reached up and felt the scrapes on his face and knuckles, glancing back at the evil, evil root he must have snagged – only there was no root. There was a shoe, on a foot, on a leg, on a person. His eyes widened.

"Richter!" He shouted. "Oh my goddess, Richter! I have a twin! And he's passed out in the middle of nowhere wearing a dress!"

Sighing, Richter completed the fire spell, successfully igniting the pile of kindling he had gathered. He hollered back, "Aster, have you been eating wild mushrooms again?"

"Hey, they were perfectly edible! The hallucinogenic side effect was just a bonus. Now, seriously, get over here!"

The redhead followed in the direction his friend's voice had come from. Then, he caught sight of Aster… and as he drew closer he realized that, no, Aster had not been kidding after all—about the twin _or _the dress. He stared, flabbergasted.

"I've fallen asleep and am dreaming. There is no other explanation."

The boy had shaggy blond hair, with a lock sticking up at the top that Richter had always affectionately (read: secretly) referred to as Aster's "antenna" back at the academy. His face looked slightly feminine, reinforced by the fact that his navy tunic left his shoulders almost completely bare. A sword and a pack were tied at his waist. Save for his clothes and weapon, he was virtually identical to Aster, who had pulled the boy's scarf loose to check his pulse.

"His heartbeat is slow, but he's definitely alive. Probably just fainted."

Richter crouched down to get a closer look. "How long has he been passed out?"

"No idea."

"Hmm..."

"We can't just leave him out here, in any case! Let's bring him back to the camp."

He nodded. "Good idea."

Richter hoisted the unconscious boy into his arms as Aster gathered up some of the branches littering the ground. They doubled back to the camp soon after, their new friend in tow. Something about Aster's maniacal grin told Richter that it was going to be a long, long night…

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><p>Emil was dying. He was sure of it.<p>

For one, there had been the pain. It felt like someone had kicked him around for a while, dumped him on the floor, kicked him again, thrown him at a wall or two, and then proceeded to kick him a few more times. He had tried feebly to shield himself in the dark, unsure of what was happening, but whatever it was, it got through to him anyway.

Then, there was the floating. In a dreamlike state he had drifted, falling in and out of consciousness, barely aware of anything. His only feeling had been of being taken up into someone's arms and carried for what seemed like millennium. _An angel_, he thought.

Finally, he started to see the light. It wasn't exactly what you would call bright, but it was a light, and that was all it took to freak him out. _Noooooooo! Please, I don't want to die! Someone help me!  
><em>  
>Emil woke up with a headache and sleepy eyes, staring at a fire.<p>

Blearily, he squinted at his surroundings. He seemed to be propped up against a pile of packs, sleeping bags and pillows; there was a campfire in front of him, and a makeshift tent off to his right. The moon and stars shone down from above, lining the forest in silver. It was gorgeous. It was also confusing. _Shouldn't I be in the Ginnungagap right now? What happened to Richter? Not only that… where did Ratatosk go?_

Then, the memories came back to him—Ratatosk had sent him to the surface, to live a normal life as a human. Well, that explained the part about the Summon Spirit's absence. If Emil wasn't at the Otherworldly Gate, though, like he had thought he would be when he woke up… then where in the world was he now?

Suddenly, Emil tensed up, hearing voices coming from not too far away.

"Do you think he's up yet?"

"I don't know. Stop asking me."

_That sounds like Richter's voice, _Emil thought. _It couldn't be Richter, though… could it? He should still be guarding the door with Ratatosk._

"Do you, though?" That voice wasn't Richter's, but it sounded familiar, too.

"Not really."

"Hmm. I'm going to go check, okay? Wait here."

There was a rustling in the bushes near the tent. Emil's heart raced as a shadow detached itself from the night, trudging toward him, one step at a time. He prayed they would be friendly.

"Hey! He is up, after all!"

And that was when Emil saw Aster's face for the first time. It was like looking into a mirror in a dream… and then having your mirror image come alive before your eyes. Normally, he wouldn't bat an eye at someone else in his own body – Ratatosk had taken on his shape for the longest time – but this wasn't Ratatosk. His eyes were green, and his clothes were different. Emil's jaw nearly dropped from the shock.

His doppelganger crouched down across from him, smiling up to his eyes. "Hey there! My name's Aster—nice to meetcha," the boy chirped.

"N-nice to meet you, too," Emil managed to get out, thoroughly stunned. "My name's Emil." _Is this really Aster? It can't be! Am I dreaming? Who does the other voice belong to? Why am I so sleepy? Where am I, and how do I get home?_

"Emil, eh?" Aster flashed him a goofy grin. "You should really be more careful where you decide to fall asleep! Good thing we got to you before the monsters did. Oh, hey, Richter! Get over here and meet our new friend!"

There was another rustling noise from near the tent, and soon enough, a familiar mane of red hair emerged from among the trees. Emil would know his face anywhere.

"Richter," he gasped.

"Yes. Nice to meet you, Emil." Richter pushed up his glasses, looking a bit shyer than Emil remembered. More importantly, though…

"Wait… you don't remember me?" Emil blurted. Richter seemed confused by that.

"Have we met before?"

"Yes! Uh, no. Um… actually… it's a long story," he finished lamely. Both Aster and Richter were giving him puzzled looks, like maybe he was delirious, or crazy… and he was starting to figure out why.

Aster was alive. Richter wasn't guarding the door, nor did he even remember him. Ratatosk had been using large amounts of mana and energy to separate them both, and to send him back up to the surface. Perhaps, with all that extra energy floating around, and Ratatosk meddling with time and space… they had accidentally opened up a portal to the past.

_Oh, goddess. How far back am I?_

"Um… Emil? Are you okay?" Aster poked him, a concerned look on his face. "You're looking a bit pale all of a sudden."

Emil straightened up, snapping out of his thoughts for the moment. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just… the more I think about how I got here, the crazier it sounds. Even to me."

Aster blinked. "How you… got here? Richter carried you here."

"No, no! I mean… well, how about I explain it to you?" He scratched the back of his head sheepishly, and both boys nodded, sitting down across from Emil as he started his story.

"So, you see, I'm not really from here. It all started one night in Palmacosta…"


	4. An Interesting Morning

(Author: Both of us, I started off, then fishies picked up after the 'smell nice' line.)

**Credits for ideas:** The idea for Richter smelling like cinnamon goes to the talented BerryD, and their story Lose Control.

**GUYS. I'M SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG TO POST. **I completely forgot that I had this chapter finished, and that it's the _next_ one that's not done yet! I'm sorry!

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><p>Fury. Cold fury. It seemed the only emotion he could feel besides the searing hatred that burned through him, radiating from him and keeping any beasts or monsters at bay as they sensed imminent death from the man should they disturb him. He sat on a small rock, glaring daggers at the ground as he thought, furious beyond words. They would pay. All of them. He would be sure of it. He didn't yet know how, but he would <em>make <em>them pay, no matter what he had to do. To have lost what he held most dear, then to be forced not only from the only home he had left but his very body itself by such a _fool _—and _how _could he be such a fool, knowing what they had _done _?—and stripped of _everything _… And worse yet, to be forced into using such a body… He would make sure to murder them, every last one of them. He stood, snarling, blood-red eyes seeming to glow in the night as if lit from within by a cold fire. Turning, he stalked off into the shadows, still glaring death at anything that moved.

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><p>"S-so, um, th-that's how I got h-here…" Emil shifted nervously as Aster and Richter watched him closely, the former with a thoughtful look and the latter with a rather skeptical look. Richter was the first to speak.<p>

"Are you sure you didn't hit your head?"

"Richter! You don't need to be so mean to Emil."

"I'm not—"

"BESIDES," Aster continued right over Richter's protest, "it's not all _that _impossible of a story. Sure, there're parts that don't really make sense, and some things that feel like holes, but…" Looking at Emil for a moment, Aster smiled gently at him, hoping to reassure the obviously nervous blond. "Well, Emil's entitled to his secrets, and I don't think he's a bad guy, so…"

The red-head sighed, rubbing his temples. "Aster, he's claiming that he _traveled through time_."

Emil watched the two friends argue and not minding in the least that they seemed to have forgotten that he was there at all. It saved him the trouble of trying to avoid slipping up and giving away just _how _he knew Richter in his own time, or the circumstances that caused him to be involved with Ratatosk in the first place. He was still having trouble believing that Aster was alive, but… Well, with the other blond there, right before his eyes, it was hard to imagine that it wasn't real.

"Richter, we're not getting anywhere arguing like this. We're both tired, and Emil looks ready to fall over. Let's just talk about this more in the morning, 'kay?"

Sighing, the half-elf nodded. "Fine. Let's get things set up. You'll have to sleep on the ground, though, Emil—we only have two sets of sleeping gear."

Before the blond could agree that that was fine, he was used to such from his travels, Aster spoke. The scientist had a grin plastered across his face that Emil instinctively knew meant trouble.

"He can share mine! It's big enough!"

Emil blinked at Aster, startled, while Richter sighed. "Whatever. Do what you want, I know better than to try and stop you."

Aster grinned, pouncing on Emil and hugging him. "This'll be fun!"

Emil wasn't sure if he should be grateful or mildly afraid. When Richter had described him as having a few screws loose, it seems that he'd meant it.

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><p>Richter sat staring at Emil, thinking. How could Emil have come from the future? Was it really tied in with Ratatosk's power? Why would Ratatosk be doing anything to send somebody through time in the first place? That wasn't the Summon Spirit's role… Yet Ratatosk had seemed distracted, Richter himself had felt the strange surge of power within the Spirit… Was that related to the incident which sent Emil back in time?<p>

Watching the two blonds sleeping, he stared hard, realizing that if it weren't for the fact that one of them had a death grip on the other, grinning in his sleep, he truly would not have been able to tell his friend from this stranger.

Why did Emil look just like Aster? How was that possible? Emil had shied around the topic, avoiding answering any time Richter had tried to ask. Aster seemed more laid back on the subject, but the half-elf couldn't shake the feeling that there was a _very _important explanation being left out involving that. The same hair, the same eyes, the same face and voice (though the way they spoke helped differentiate them, Emil was far more hesitant than Aster)… Emil even possessed the same star-shaped mark on his neck that Aster did.

The half-elf stayed awake for quite some time. Trying to find answers he couldn't possibly find.

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><p>Emil stirred slowly, mind still hazy from sleep. He frowned faintly as he felt a warm body pressed firmly against his own, a chest touching his back and a pair of arms wrapped securely around him. At first he was going to ask why Marta was clinging to him, the way she had liked to do when she snuck over to sleep beside him at night. Then he remembered where he was. He remembered <em>when <em>he was.

His eyes snapped open and he tried to move. He found himself in a vice-like grip, being held like he was a teddy bear. Feeling Aster nuzzling gently against him in his sleep, Emil's face turned a nice shade of pink. He tried to free himself from the other boy's grasp, trying to ignore warm breath tickling the back of his neck.

"Don't bother."

Emil's eyes darted over to Richter, who was seated by the remains of the fire, putting some new wood on and preparing to light it again, though Aster would have to be the one to deal with breakfast, as the half-elf had never cooked before. The red head offered Emil a faint, almost pitying smile. "Once he latches on, you're stuck until he wakes up. Trust me; it's all but impossible to break his grasp. I have no idea how he can be that strong when he sleeps."

Emil twitched slightly before sighing and resigning himself to being treated like a stuffed animal for a while longer. He twitched again as Aster nuzzled against him once more, making a soft, content sound in his sleep. It was nearly fifteen minutes before the other blond woke.

Aster smiled, feeling his arms wrapped around another body, pulling the other closer. His sleepy brain wasn't really realizing who he was holding. After a moment, he finally realized it wasn't Richter he was snuggled up against—this person didn't smell like Richter, didn't have the same hint of cinnamon to their scent. Still very sleepy, Aster didn't really mind—whoever it was smelled nice, but not in a readily identifiable way, just a vague, indescribable hint of sweetness to their scent.

Emil felt his face heat up further as he realized that while now awake, Aster was _not _, in fact, letting go of him, and was instead snuggling closer to him and, to Emil's confusion and slight embarrassment, _sniffing _him. He tried once more, unsuccessfully, to pull away. Aster's grip only tightened.

Richter watched, mildly amused at first. Now, however, as Aster said his first words of the morning, he was mildly disturbed.

"You smell nice…"

Several long minutes passed in silence before Emil, thoroughly flustered, managed to blurt out a response. "I… U-u-um, t-thanks, Aster?"

"Wait…"Aster's blissful expression faltered for a moment, then returned just as strong. "Oh. It's you, Emil."

"Who else were you expecting?" Richter asked dryly.

"I dunno, you?"

Richter sighed in a frustrated kind of way, but his heart wasn't in it. Aster would be Aster. Being friends with him meant getting used to any and all sorts of crazy situations he could conceivably cause – if you didn't, you might go crazy yourself.

"Ummm… g-guys? C-can I get out n-now?"

"Aww, fine." Pouting almost playfully, Aster reached over and unzipped the sleeping bag; his brushing up against Emil to do so was unavoidable, but the boy's face heated up several degrees nonetheless.

"T-thanks," Emil stuttered. He rolled out of Aster's arms and righted himself before the other had a chance to protest.

"I'm gonna be cold, though!"

Sighing, Richter smiled. "Aster, don't you think you've scared Emil enough for one day, already?"

The blond only rolled over, mumbling something to himself about Richter being a meanie for spoiling his fun.


	5. The Road to Sybak

**A/N:** Well, it's been a while. Been busy with life, and not really knowing how to proceed with part of this. So, I figured I'd take the part I was stuck on out (since it was at the end), and work on that as a brand new chapter, and upload what's written so far for you all! Mostly becasue I'm terribly sorry it takes me so long to write new stuff. D: And sorry, this is a bit filler-y, but it does mention a thing or two that will be major plot points later, so it's not _all_ filler...

This part is written entirely by fishies, and barring a paragraph in the next chapter, the last part she wrote on this (though she has mentioned she'd be maybe interested in a little bit of writing for it here and there!). We still have the entire thing planned out already, though-it's just actually writing the idea out in a way that makes sense that's hard. XD

**Enough stalling from me! Here's the chapter!**

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><p>After Aster's little display of affection that morning, things went on without a hitch. Breakfast was delicious (Emil's help certainly made a difference), the gear was packed up quickly and easily, and soon enough the trio was on the road again, heading toward Sybak.<p>

Toward Sybak… Emil's mind wandered. He still couldn't seem to get used to the fact that he was finally getting to meet Aster – the man who could be his twin… the man Richter was trying to save… the man whose life he, as Ratatosk, had brought to an abrupt and unwarranted end. What would he do if Aster found out? Emil's stomach knotted at the very thought. They could never know, not on his watch – not if he wanted to get back to his own time in one piece… and even then, he realized with another twist of his gut that he might not be getting back to his time at all. He wished Ratatosk were still with him. He would know things. He would tell him to stop being such a crybaby, and he would be able to fill in the missing pieces and help him  
>decide what to do next. There had to be some way to make sense of all this…<p>

Unbeknownst to Emil, Richter had noticed his pained expression and was having some thoughts of his own. Emil looked just like Aster, but his mannerisms were completely different. Richter's brow furrowed in thought. He seemed to be constantly worrying, he stuttered when he was nervous, he had the _ability_to be nervous in the first place, he blushed and fumbled and had spread the jam all the way to the crusts of their campfire toast in the morning… Aster wasn't patient enough to do that. Maybe it was odd for Richter to be happy about stumbling upon him, considering he still didn't trust the boy completely, but it was interesting to see what his best friend might have been like in a parallel universe.

"Hey, look!"

Richter and Emil both snapped out of their respective thoughts and turned their gazes to Aster. He was holding up some sort of charred old machine part, with a wide grin on his face.

"Remember this, Richter? I told you we would find this thing!"

Richter's eyes widened. "No way…"

Curious, Emil peered at the gnarled piece of metal held in Aster's hands. There didn't seem to be anything special about it at first glance, other than maybe the astounding amount of rust accumulated on the very end of it. It looked like it had been out here for ages.

"Emil, this part is from an experiment Richter and I conducted on our first field study together," Aster explained. Richter frowned at him good-naturedly.

"Though I think our results might have been skewed by the fact that you blew the machine to bits."

"Oh, hush, you."

Emil didn't bother suppressing a chuckle.

"Hey! We should bring it back to the lab with us!"

"Why would we do that?"

"As a souvenir!" Aster's face lit up like a second sun.

"You can't be serious. I'm not letting you carry that thing; it's got 'biohazard' written all over it!"

Pausing, Aster gave this some serious thought, and came to the conclusion that the object was, in fact, dangerous. "Well... you carry it, then."

"No."

"Pleeeeease?"

Richter glared.

"Oh, fine," Aster sighed. "I'm going to make a mark on the map, though, so I can come back for it later – hey, hey, don't give me that look!"

He dug out the map while Richter stood some ways away, hands on his hips and turning a severely irritated gaze somewhere off to his right. Emil cautiously edged his way up to Aster to have a look at the map Aster was scribbling on. When he got there, however, the layout took him by surprise.

"But… this is just a map of Tethe'alla, isn't it?" Emil tilted his head sideways in that bewildered way of his.

"Ahh, that's right! You're from a more advanced time, huh?" Aster grinned again and shot him a glance, seeming more than happy to explain things to his twin. "See, the joining of the worlds happened so recently that maps including both worlds aren't popularized yet. The Academy has more than one, sure, but this is the only map Richter and I have to ourselves."

"Oh, okay."

"Don't mind Richter, by the way," Aster chirped; said redhead twitched visibly. "He can be a real rock at times, but he's just a big softie at heart!"

"Go die in a fire."

"See? The fact that he bothered replying means he really cares what we think of him!" Aster replied with a huge smile.

Emil couldn't help but laugh. "The Richter I know is pretty much the same way," he admitted quietly. He didn't really know whether that Richter cared what the blond thought of him, though… he probably couldn't care less. But he had been kind, and he had given Emil the courage necessary to make his own dreams into realities. Emil would always be indebted to the man for that.

"Are we going to keep walking, or are we going to stand here all day?" Richter pressed.

Emil chuckled, a hand behind his head. "O-oh! Right."

And so the trio set out for Sybak once again. Richter couldn't help wondering, though, about the version of himself Emil was familiar with – if he was telling the truth, that is. The whole issue was far too confusing in far too many ways.


End file.
